FROM CHAPTER 15…

Becoming The Band of ’59 - Big Daddy Version 3.0

(1982 - 1987)

“In many ways, 1983’s Big Daddy was an album that best defined a Rhino release: it was fun, spirited, creative Rock ‘n’ Roll; it was roots music, and it was novelty.” 

- The Rhino Records Story, Revenge of the Music Nerds

(2013) by Rhino co-founder, Harold Bronson ¹

There were a few early sessions at Sunburst’s new Culver City facility before Big Daddy came along, but none captured such excitement.  Here is how the band, Big Daddy, was resurrected at Sunburst Recording in 1982.

Richard Foos, Harold Bronson and I, who had developed a great working relationship with Rhino projects at the Kittyhawk Studio (1979 – 1981), were looking for other things to record. Previously, I had found out, quite by accident, that Richard was a big fan of a band called Godfrey Daniel.  Seeing their 1972 album on Atlantic Records’ release called “take a sad song…” ³ in Richard’s Rhino office one day, I remarked how much I loved that record. Being a big fan of 50’s Doo-Wop & Pop music, he agreed.  To my knowledge, Godfrey Daniel never toured or released anything else after that first album, but has developed quite a cult following through the years.  Richard shared his desire to someday revisit and expand upon their concept.  In listening to “take a sad song…,” it becomes clear to fans of nostalgic Rock music what that concept was: they re-recorded big hits of the late 60’s and early 70’s, making them sound like they were arranged and produced in the 1950’s.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

¹ Harold Bronson, The Rhino Records Story, Revenge of the Music Nerds / SelectBooks, Inc., New York, First Edition, 2013, Page 61

² From Don McLean’s “American Pie”  https://people.com/celebrity/don-mclean-talks-american-pie-song-meaning-before-manuscript-auction/ 

³ Godfrey Daniel “Take A Sad Song…”:  https://www.allmusic.com/album/take-a-sad-song-mw0000447580  

Big Daddy’s street sign from our live shows:

The band of ’59 and our tribute to “the day (year) the music died” ²